Two stacks of quarters.

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

The Trump administration has revealed five quarter designs to celebrate the country's 250th birthday, bypassing options honoring civil rights icons and the women's voting movement.

The US Mint released the designs for the five quarters on Thursday, Dec. 11. The 25-cent coins will help mark 250 years since the Declaration of Independence's signing in 1776.

The designs include former Presidents like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln. The coins also depict the Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and a quote from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Another coin shows pilgrims and the Mayflower ship. The quarters will also have the years 1776 and 2026 on them.

Proposed designs not accepted include abolitionist Frederick Douglass and suffragettes holding "votes for women" flags. Several Civil Rights Movement depictions were also rejected, including Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to integrate her school in 1960.

Acting US Mint director Kristie McNally said the quarters reflect the country's founding principles.

"The designs on these historic coins depict the story of America's journey toward a 'more perfect union,' and celebrate America's defining ideals of liberty," said McNally. "We hope to offer each American the opportunity to hold our nation's storied 250 years of history in the palms of their hands as we connect America through coins."

A new edition of the dime called "Emerging Liberty" will be released, along with a redesigned half-dollar featuring the Statue of Liberty. All of the 250th anniversary coins will enter circulation in 2026, but the US Mint hasn't specified exact launch dates.

The new quarters come after the Treasury Department confirmed in October that it was considering a $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump for the 250th anniversary. A proposed design included Trump holding up a fist alongside the words "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT," a reference to the July 2024 assassination attempt he faced in western Pennsylvania.

Federal law bans living people from being featured on US currency. In 1866, Congress passed the Thayer amendment to restrict currency depictions to deceased people.

In 2020, Congress authorized commemorative $1 coins with designs that are "emblematic of the United States semiquincentennial" to be in circulation for 2026. A final dollar-coin design has not been announced.

The US Mint also produced its last penny in November after 238 years in circulation.